'Dark Phoenix' Will Have A Stan Lee Tribute Instead Of The Usual Cameo
Stan Lee has made no less than 37 appearances in movies based on Marvel Comics. But since we lost the legendary creator last year, those cameos are sadly coming to an end. Recently we heard that Avengers: Endgame will feature Stan Lee's final cameo appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it sounds like it'll be his last Marvel cameo entirely too.Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg has confirmed that there isn't a Stan Lee cameo in the movie, but there is some kind of tribute to the man who helped make Marvel Comics what it is today.
While appearing at WonderCon, Simon Kinberg spoke to CinemaBlend about the possibility of a Dark Phoenix Stan Lee cameo, and here's what he had to say:
"We don't have a cameo. I'd rather say that than then keep it mysterious, out of respect for Stan. We do have some tribute to him, and it's something that obviously we weren't thinking about when we were making the movie because he was still very much alive. And he's been such a huge part of making these films over the years. He's had cameos; he's had input into the process of making them."
It's a bit of a shame that Stan Lee didn't shoot a cameo for Dark Phoenix, especially since X-Men was the very first Marvel Comics cameo that made it to the big screen. Initially, Stan Lee shot a cameo for the first Blade movie, but it ended up on the cutting room floor. But at the very least he's getting a tribute, though we don't know what it will be just yet.
Dark Phoenix was recently confirmed at CinemaCon to be the final chapter in the X-Men franchise that originated at 20th Century Fox. But now that Disney owns all the Marvel Comics properties that were situated at Fox, there will be a new X-Men franchise launched at some point. That's still at least a couple years away though.
In Dark Phoenix, the X-Men face their most formidable and powerful foe: one of their own, Jean Grey. During a rescue mission in space, Jean is nearly killed when she is hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. Wrestling with this entity inside her, Jean unleashes her powers in ways she can neither comprehend nor contain. With Jean spiraling out of control, and hurting the ones she loves most, she begins to unravel the very fabric that holds the X-Men together. Now, with this family falling apart, they must find a way to unite — not only to save Jean's soul, but to save our very planet from aliens who wish to weaponize this force and rule the galaxy.
Dark Phoenix will be released in theaters on June 7, 2019.